


Consultant

by von_gikkingen



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Closure, Gen, SHIELD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-23 06:33:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20335657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/von_gikkingen/pseuds/von_gikkingen
Summary: “She showed up one day, after the dust settled, to tell us we’re going to start paying her to be a consultant and no, she’s not planning on doing any actual work.”“I see.”“The only expertise she has these days is in standing around making sarcastic comments while we work,” says Hill – but her tone is definitely off. Because it doesn’t sound like a complaint. No, there is far too much acceptance in her expression. As though she believes that is the least they deserve. “We indulge her and we will for as long as she needs us to. Because if this is what she needs right now she’s going to get it.”





	Consultant

Something was wrong, that much was apparent. It wasn’t just the way Fury was staring at his phone, seemingly scared to answer it – it was also the way nearly everyone in the room tensed up on seeing his expression. Because they all had a whole lot more context for what was about to happen. He, meanwhile, just pretended he was too busy thinking the haunted thoughts of a wizard from another, now destroyed Earth to even notice…

“Hello, Ava,” says Fury a second later, after finally making himself take the call. And the name alone was enough to make everyone somehow even tenser...

It’s not a long conversation. Only a few words are exchanged – and the ones spoken by Fury sound all decisively… apologetic. “How does she always know?” says Hill only as soon as the call ends.

“Guilt trips people into telling her. Is it any surprise how easy that is for her? _Not _the part we need to focus on,” Fury replies, still sounding vaguely unsettled. “Miss Starr feels she might enjoy a trip to Venice. You know the drill. Get her a room in the nicest hotel we can barely afford and if we’re very lucky she will be too busy being a tourist to…”

“Show up here to casually guilt trip _us_…?” comments one of the SHIELD people wryly. “She couldn’t give a damn about Venice. She’s only coming along so she can make everyone feel uncomfortable.”

“That is a distinct possibility,” says Fury only as several people around the room just shake their heads resignedly. “And we’re going to take it because it’s the least we owe her. Do I have to remind you how lucky we are she chose being mildly annoying over openly violent...?”

He has no idea how to begin to disentangle any of the things that were said since Fury got his mystery call. And so he clears his throat to get Hill’s attention and hopefully get something like an explanation. “It’s nothing for you to concern yourself with. She's a consultant that sometimes comes along for these things,” she says in reply to his unspoken question. “She won’t really be a part of the operation.”

“I don’t think I understand.”

“She used to work for us,” says Fury, sounding exactly as guilty as he did on the phone. “There were... unfortunate circumstances to that arrangement. It’s not something we’re proud of. So when she calls and informs us that we’re paying for her holiday in Europe that is _exactly_ what happens.”

“Doesn't she work for you?” he frowns because it still doesn't quite add up.

“No,” says Fury, a weak laugh escaping him at the very idea. “No, she showed up one day, after we got the band back together to tell us we’re going to start paying her to be _a consultant_ and no, she’s not planning on doing any actual work.”

“I see.”

“The only expertise she has these days is in standing around making sarcastic comments while we work,” says Hill – but her tone is definitely off. Because it doesn’t sound like a complaint. No, there is far too much acceptance in her voice. As though she believes that is the least they deserve. “We indulge her and we will for as long as she needs us to. Because if this is what she needs right now she’s going to get it.”

“Plenty to atone for when it comes to Ava Starr...” comments the nearest SHIELD field operative tonelessly, never looking up from her screen.

“Did you find someplace for her to stay?”

“Yes. And it’s reasonably close to where we’re staying because she _will_ want to randomly show up just to tell us we’re doing a great job of protecting the Earth from monsters.”

“Everybody needs a hobby,” comments Fury wryly.

...

“Nice armor,” is the first - and quite possibly the last - thing Ava Starr tells him. Because she is so obviously not here for him. No, she has no intention of wasting perfectly good sarcasm on just any wizard from an alternate Earth...

She loses what little attention she had for him in under a second and it has everything to do with the fact she has a plane full of SHIELD employees who are just trying to do their jobs to survey in a way that makes it clear she’s choosing a target. Which is about what he was led to expect, based on what he heard about her since it became apparent that even though no one likes it she’s coming along for the ride. If only someone bothered to let him know to expect someone unreasonably attractive, despite - or quite possibly _because of_ \- all the mean amusement in her eyes…

It was going to be a long flight, he realized. Even if he really seemed to be the only person she wasn’t planning to make feel like a monster just by association with people who ruined her life. Because already it took conscious effort to keep his eyes from straying to this _consultant_. Who settled down beside Hill and was currently in process of recounting all her previous all expenses paid trips to Europe SHIELD treated her to in the past – and how little time they left for sightseeing.

He had to wonder how many operations has she invited herself onto in the past, because everyone around him seemed simply too worn down by all this to even contemplate telling her to maybe get a life or point out that they were trying to save lives here and did _not _need this. And odds were they had good reasons to be nothing but accepting of this.

Because when he told his people to dig up everything they could on this former spy they found _nothing_. It was as though she didn’t exist. Which is what all the official records seemed to confirm. Ava Starr died alongside her parents at a very young age – and what references to _the Ghost_ there were sounded… improbable. They spoke of someone insubstantial. Someone who was never too bothered by locked rooms. It was hard to wrap his head around to say the least. No less so because while his magical powers were completely fabricated whatever she was – or used to be – was the real thing.

And his plans? They did _not_ account for her.

Which is why it was a good thing to know that she was obviously too busy making innocent sounding yet clearly plenty cutting remarks to everyone but him. All he needed to do was not draw her attention and hopefully things could go according to plan despite this little unexpected plot twist...

...

“Hey, Mysterio…?”

The words stop him in his track. It has nothing to do with her using that unfortunate nickname, either. Something in her tone immediately tells him this is a conversation he does _not _want to have...

“Yes?” he says, forcing himself to turn to her, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

“Can you answer a question for me…?” she says, light smile playing across her lips as she comes closer. “I would think you don’t know anyone around these parts, being from another Earth and all that. So where are you always disappearing to…?”

Hard to find an answer to that one because, yes, him doing that was really bordering on suspicious now. And he found he did _not_ want her to think too hard about what exactly he might be up to. “Have you been watching me…?” he says, matching her smile.

“I have,” she replies, frowning a little in a very _was that not implied? _way.

Which was the perfect answer. Because it gave him an opening to change the subject. Hopefully in a way that’ll make her forget all about how suspicious she found his behavior.

He doesn’t even have to think about it. It _is _the obvious thing to do. He runs his eyes over her and in the next moment he leans closer and kisses her. Which is not merely a way of distracting her from her not unfounded suspicions if he’s being honest with himself...

She doesn’t respond with violence, which is something of a surprise. Part of him expected nothing less, since she gave absolutely no indication she was interested. No – as surprised as she seems at first she still kisses him back. Not unenthusiastic about what’s happening, either, at least for a moment. But that moment ends and then she's taking a step back, breaking the contact. Which is less than ideal. And of course now she's watching him with if anything a lot more than the vague suspicion she felt when she started this conversation. “Have I… misread this?” he says, since it sounds like the perfect line for this situation. He makes himself sound apologetic even as he adds. “I… definitely misread this. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” she replies, her voice managing to betray no emotion. “Just remember to keep your story straight. You’re supposed to be far too tragic a character to do something like this.”

He follows her line of sight to the ring on his finger. “That’s…”

“Look, whatever game you’re playing? Keep playing it. Couldn’t care less. You’re Fury’s problem and the fact he doesn’t realize it is… hilarious,” she says, unable to suppress a smile. “There’s something a little off about him lately but he _will_ catch up with you eventually. Now if I were you I’d just quit while I was ahead.”

“That almost sounds like you’re concerned about me.”

She just smirks, clearly finding the very idea too ridiculous for words. Which is why it comes as such a surprise that next thing he knows she’s coming closer again, that her lips are pressed against his again and... no, this does _not_ feel like being kissed by someone who is genuinely interested. More like someone trying to figure out why she _isn’t_. And before he knows it it’s over. Her expression still vaguely confused as she steps back. “Oh, this is just _perfect_,” she says then, under her breath, clearly talking to herself. And just like that he knows he won't be able to keep himself from asking the obvious question.

“Who did you wish you were kissing…?”

“None of your business. Don’t you have magic monsters to fight?” she snaps. But there is no real bite in the words. No, she’s far too lost in thought for that. Very hesitantly she takes her phone out of her pocket and, after a few seconds of indecision, makes a call.

This would be the perfect moment to make himself scarce to give her some privacy, he knows, but the truth his he’s a little too curious to do that. Besides it feels like he earned the right to be here for whatever the punchline was. And so he stays put and does nothing to hide the fact he’s eavesdropping. Not that she notices...

“You need to shut up and listen because I’m only going to say this once. _You were right_. Dropping in on SHIELD’s covert operations just to spite them is a terrible way of spending my time. So I’m going to stop. I’m getting on the first plane out of here,” she says, hurrying to get the words out. “Can you come pick me up at the airport?”

There is a brief pause while the person on the other end answers.

“And just to clarify,” continues Ava, “that means _just you_. Not the whole gang. We need to talk and I am _not _dealing with the human jukebox while… No, nothing’s _wrong_, just…” she says. But just then her eyes stray to him and she finally realizes she has an audience. That he's doing his best to enjoy the show even as he’s missing too much context to be truly able to follow. She seems about to tell him she doesn’t appreciate him listening in but then she just flashes him a mischievous smile and goes with a different strategy for keeping him from getting a front row seat to her life. She switches into another language, apparently mid-sentence, and goes on that way until she runs out of things to say. 

"Was that... Russian?" he says when, after a few more hurriedly uttered sentences, she ends the call.

"It was none of your business," she says, giving him a look. One that he probably deserves.

"So you had enough of Venice then?"

"I had enough of all of this," she rolls her eyes and, after putting the phone back to her pocket, starts walking away.

...

“It would appear our biggest problem is gone. And now we just have the elemental monsters to deal with. Comparatively easy,” utters Fury and he does sound somewhat amused – but far more mystified. Because for Ava to just leave and let them do their jobs undisturbed by her running commentary? It was apparently unprecedented.

“I don’t trust this. She’ll be back,” comments someone.

“You know, I really don’t think she will be. She sounded like she finally found something better to do,” comments Hill and… yes, she _is_ smiling just a little.

“Yes but does anyone _know_ what made her bail on this…? I mean, come on. She loves this. Messing with us is her favorite thing in the world…” adds someone. “What could have possibly made her decide to get a life…?”

He really has to fight to pretend he’s far too worried about the monsters they’ll soon be overrun with and in fact mildly disapproves of all this empty talk. The truth is he would love to know himself. But that is not a very wizard thing to prioritize and so he just does the obvious thing of sticking to the character. Maybe when all of this is over there will be time to find out what was it that made her abandon the bitterness she indulged in so freely and instead choose... happiness. Because that’s what she looked like when he last saw her. Happy.

And wasn’t that yet another improbable story that just seemed possible in this too weird world they lived in now...?

**Author's Note:**

> okay, yeah, quite a bit out off character but this was such a neat idea I just had to go with it... because I'm an a-hole by nature and I definitely would pull something so deliberately obnoxious and, oh, whatever, so I'm projecting... this is what happens... fandom life is hard - it takes a toll... (at the end of the day I had fun writing this and that's really all that matters, isn't it...?)


End file.
